Has anyone "special ordered" a gun from walmart?

[Guvnor]

Ive been looking for a Marlin 981t (tube fed, bolt action .22lr) but no one seems to have one anywhere around here.

Ive heard that you can special order guns from walmart and have them delivered to the store. If they have the Marlin catalog maybe I can order one...

Do they charge you extra for this service? Has anyone else tried this and was it pleasant enough experience?

 

[nismofun]

I bought my first rifle from there. From what I can tell, Walmart has some of the best prices around. I was just in there yesterday looking at getting a savage MKIIFV in 17 M2, and it was 30 less than anyone on gunbroker and only 10 more than what I've found on the net.

Once my rifle was in, I just went back to sporting goods, filled out the paperwork like you do for any firearms purchase, and they walked me out. No problems at all.

I know my store has a 50% down policy, and I'm assuming all others do as well. You just have to think of walmart like a long guns only dealership, and they can/will pretty much get you anything any other shops can. In fact, Dicks couldn't even get the savage I want this go around.

Summary--poss 50% down, and go for it if it's what you want.

 

[SaxonPig]

Few gun stores could keep every gun made in stock and most will order what they don't keep in inventory from a distributor. Not sure if Wlamart does this as they generally sell mainstream models in large volume. You can always ask. Some more rural Wlamarts might be more accommodating. I used to live ina tiny town where the Walmart sold bullets, powder and primers for reloading.

 

[Sunray]

Order it through your local gun shop. Guy on another forum bought what he thought was a .300 Win Mag rifle through Wally World and got a .300 Weatherby. Wally World apparently has a no return policy on firearms. No service either.
"...less than anyone on gunbroker..." That's not hard to do.

 

[Iansstud]

Yes, don't do it!!!! I ordered a K10/22T from walmart... from lipseys....

It took over a month to come in, then It took 20 min to find a manager, then it tookover 1hour befor they told me that the Gun people that normally do the background check were gone and to come back the next day.... so I did, and it still took about 2hours....

Never again!

 

[cibach]

I have not ordered one in a long time but I have and had no problems

 

[EAJ]

My local WM will not order a gun unless it's available (in stock) through one of their distributors. There are no extra charges other than the $5 NICS check.

 

[nismofun]

Order it through your local gun shop. Guy on another forum bought what he thought was a .300 Win Mag rifle through Wally World and got a .300 Weatherby. Wally World apparently has a no return policy on firearms. No service either.
"...less than anyone on gunbroker..." That's not hard to do.

I read about that guy...who can't be bothered to make sure he got the right caliber BEFORE he left the counter/store. Not walmart's fault.

As far as the customer service, I didn't have any issues getting what I ordered, and making sure it was what I ordered, and it was in a reasonably timely fashion.

 

[Justin]

*Justin's hand hovers momentarily over the red "Close Thread" button, then moves away.*

Let's keep this one on topic and related to Walmart's service with regard to special-ordering firearms.

 

[maskedman504]

Yes, don't do it!!!! Took a month!

Wow, that fast?

 

[wyocarp]

I bought my first rifle from there. From what I can tell, Walmart has some of the best prices around.

Yes, they have the best prices because they screw everyone they deal with. If you have no morals and don't mind supporting a company that doesn't have any morals, order and buy as much as you can from them. Why not support a local gun store where the prices are reasonable?

 

[dirt_j00]

Looking at special ordering a CZ 452 from Wal-Mart. Called them about it (semi-rural ~30k population town), and they first check their distributor to see if they can get it, and also require 50% up-front. Make sure you talk to the dept. manager, not the counter flunky.

Pricing was about $50 better than the local gun store. Not to mention my mom's employee discount!

 

[Al Thompson]

local gun store where the prices are reasonable

Some of us don't have any of those critters handy.

 

[Jubjub]

I ordered a Mossberg 500 combo setup from them. 50% deposit, took about a week to arrive, they called and let me know it was in. I went in, they brought my gun out to the counter, opened up the box and let me check it over. Filled out the 4473, paid the other half, not a problem anywhere in the process.

 

[jlg]

If you have a local gun shop that treats you fairly and has decent prices, it's always better to deal with them...keep the small local guy in business.

I prefer to build a relationship with a small gun shop. I generally spend a little more than I would at Wal-Mart but when I want service the local guy is always better than WM.

However, sometimes WM's price is so good that the small guy just can't get anywhere close. I'll pay $30-40 more to the local guy, but not $100-200 more.

On the special order side, while I've never actually placed an order through WM, I have looked through there catalogs and they have access to just about anything from a mainstream manufacturer.

 

[Deckard]

Yes, they have the best prices because they screw everyone they deal with. If you have no morals and don't mind supporting a company that doesn't have any morals, order and buy as much as you can from them.

I'm too poor for morals. I just got a 981T from Walmart and do my grocery shopping there too as a matter of fact. That extra $20 saved a trip really helps (more ammo) and besides, this is America since when do we penalize good business?

 

[Todd1700]

I ordered a Tikka T-3 from my local Wal-Mart. Came in a week and cost me 456 bucks compared to the well above 500 dollars most people around here paid for one. Furthermore the local gun store owners here either acted like they couldn't get a Tikka, tried repeatedly to talk me into buying something they already had on the shelf or just in general acted as if I was inconveniencing the hell out of them to request a special order. The people at Wal-Mart just simply said, "yes sir" and ordered the gun. So the myth that you always deal with better people or get better service at a gun store is just that. A myth!

 

[gunlover_06]

Deckard you are dead on always got to be someone who bashes WALMART everytime

 

[woof]

Hang on Justin, I got a question:

There are no longer walmart prices on the web that I can see. Is there anyway to get prices without actually going to the store? If I go to a store, will they let me just browse the whole list or do I have to ask for a price on A then on B etc?

 

[jlg]

As someone that is just starting my own small gun shop...with WM being my biggest competitor...

I don't like the fact that they'll almost always be able to sell the same gun for cheaper then me.

Just means I need to be that much better on the service end, make sure I'm truthful and helpful to my customers and never rip them off.

Capitalism is a wonderful thing, even when it means getting your butt kicked by the bigger guy.

 

[jlg]

Just so nobody misunderstands...I'm all for shopping at WM. It's generally the first place I go when I'm looking for something (food, school supplies, clothes, kitchen stuff...) they have it all and have it cheap and I like to save money whenerver I can.

I've heard that they are rough on their vendors but they can't make you sell to them. If you don't like the price they offer don't sell your stuff through WM. But there's a reason WM can demand such low prices...they will sell a BUNCH of your stuff for you.

With all that being said, I hope the one close to my gun shop goes out of business.

 

[Reid73]

I prefer to build a relationship with a small gun shop. I generally spend a little more than I would at Wal-Mart but when I want service the local guy is always better than WM.

However, sometimes WM's price is so good that the small guy just can't get anywhere close. I'll pay $30-40 more to the local guy, but not $100-200 more.

You took the words right out of my mouth!

If reasonably possible, I prefer to deal with a dedicated gun store rather than a big box store. The latter are vulnerable to special interest lobbying and are quite capable of getting out of the gun and/or ammunition business in a split second, should their executives decide that it is politically expedient to do so; see e.g. here.

The people at Wal-Mart just simply said, "yes sir" and ordered the gun. So the myth that you always deal with better people or get better service at a gun store is just that. A myth!

There is some truth to this. While one can usually expect more knowledgeable service from an employee at a dedicated gun store, I have also found that some of them have real attitudes and couldn't care less about customer service. That is very rarely the case at Walmart.

 

[taliv]

i bought one special order. wanted the large loop on a henry 22 lever.

no real problems. no service issues

 

[onegun]

hey woof. You can call and they can pull it up on their computers and tell you over the phone...

As far as small gun stores go, I noticed they are about the same as the larger ones such as cabellas, sportsmans, and bass proshops; however wally world is still 30 bucks cheaper. (which I can spend that 30 towards a scope).

Im in the same boat. I like supporting local shops but the ones ive gone to didn't seem very polite. Im leaning towards cabellas. They will match anyones prices including wallworlds as long as it's in stock.

 

[mickeydim468]

You know I have a love/hate relationship with Wally World just like the next guy, BUT <<<(notice big but) my local Wally's always has a rotating stock of new shotguns/rifles in stock from a bunch of different manufacturers as well as a great big catalog of different rifles to choose from as well. The lady at my Wally's who handles all of the department even though she isn't the manager is VERY knowledgeable in the rifle department including accessories. I am actually jealous of her knowledge. She could keep up with most of the guys on THR. She has been shooting many varieties of rifles since she was 6 and is more knowledgeable than my local gun shop guy! She is even willing to let me bring my rifle into the store so we can fit whatever accessory I need right there so we don't have to try it and bring it back. She will order anything I want... at least anything I have ever asked her for and she will let me sit there and peruse her catalog as long as I want even if I decide not to buy right then and there. She don't care... she gets paid either way. I wish all of the employees there at that store were as good at their job as she is, but, I guess all of our dreams can't come true in the same day!

Mikey!